


Slave to the Wage

by stuckonapuzzle



Category: Arctic Monkeys, Indie Music RPF, Last Shadow Puppets
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-15
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2018-08-22 13:59:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8288176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stuckonapuzzle/pseuds/stuckonapuzzle
Summary: The office AU no one asked for. Alex's nervous about his new job, but things turn out better than expected.





	1. Chapter 1

        The alarm clock Alex had set the previous night for an ungodly hour was now buzzing him awake incessantly as he struggled to convince himself opening his eyes was a good idea. Both sides of his brain battled to try and make sense of what sounded more reasonable, to lay in bed not really falling asleep again for another couple of minutes, procrastinating the start of the day, or to simply get on with it, have a shower, have some coffee and get ready like someone with any purpose to their life.

        The obvious choice, of course, was the latter, especially considering Alex was starting a new job today, so he musters every single drop of motivation in his body to get a move on. He goes into the bathroom and splashes his face with cold water before getting in the shower and trying to push away all the anxious thoughts fogging his mind, making him wonder if he shouldn’t just turn up and tell them ”Sorry, I can’t take up this job after all, I’m really sorry for wasting your time, but….”. The fact that just the other day he’d had to open up YouTube and look for a video on how to tie a tie can probably give you a hint on how prepared he is to tackle whatever it is that he supposedly has to do at the company.

        The interview process had been a nightmare in itself; he isn’t even sure how he’d managed to get hired, granted he didn’t put that much effort into faking excitement quite like the others who’d gotten interviewed with him at some point.  If he were to guess, he’d say Gareth with the ridiculously shiny teeth would’ve been the one, or maybe Joanne with the skirt ironed to the utmost precision. Anyone but him, the bloke who’d only learned how to tie a tie a couple of hours before the interview.

        To this day he wasn’t even sure what this company did, or what his actual job would even be, although he was pretty sure the others were just pretending to know as well. They were likely all just pretending, even the CEO, the only people sure of what they were doing were probably the cleaning staff, whose job was pretty straight forward, and the interns, making copies and serving coffee.

        Everyone else? No idea. Just pick up phones and type into keyboards and “Hi Janet, how are the kids?”, don’t make eye contact for too long, it’s awkward, go back to your desk and do some more typing, “What am I typing again?” Doesn’t matter, keep typing! Make some copies while at it, try and look busy, drink some coffee, say hello to Mark. Smile, don’t forget to smile, smile and they won’t notice you’re actually a bit weird, you’ve totally got this under control. Rinse and repeat for 8 hours and then you get to go home and remove your mask. Do things you actually enjoy, be yourself, forget that you don’t fit in with that environment at all. It’s going to be ok. Millions of people do it all the time, it’ll be fine, no need to worry yourself about it. Or at least that’s what he tries to convince himself of.

        Alex steps out of the shower considerably less relaxed then he’d been as he got in. He chooses an outfit from out of the clothes he’d bought specifically for this occasion and looks at himself in the mirror. He really doesn’t look half as bad as he thinks he looks, or half as incompetent. And the truth is, he actually isn’t. Though he persuades himself into thinking he is useless and incapable, he is actually very apt. He was always a bright kid, getting many A*’s on his GCSE’s and A levels, and being top of the class all throughout uni. Still, to him, those aren’t the things that really matter. They tell you nothing about your person, about your character. And thus he doesn’t see how all that could actually help him right now. His school record doesn’t erase the fact he is a nervous wreck, nor does it help him relax and take his mind off things.

        After a long and eventless ride on the tube, he arrives outside the scarily tall building where he will be working at from now on. Upon arriving at his floor, he meets his boss, Jay, a tall dusty blonde with a baby face. “Alex!” he beams up at the sight of the nervous boy “So, how was your weekend? Had a lot of fun? Hope you had time to get nice and rested before starting today.” Alex struggled to answer the questions being fired at him, it wasn’t that early anymore, but he really was more of a night time person and his brain hadn’t quite clicked into full alertness yet. It would be ok, though, he was pretty sure Jay liked him, for some reason or other, maybe that’s why he got hired instead of Gareth.

        Jay walked him around the blindingly bright office explaining a few things here and there, but Alex couldn’t keep concentrated for too long without being bored senseless, so he just kind of shut off and hoped he wasn’t being given extremely important information. They finally stopped in front of a cubicle “This is Miles” Jay presented the man sitting at the desk, who promptly got up and extended his hand, his big brown eyes catching the light as well as his teeth as he smiled broadly at Alex, making him immediately feel more at ease. “He’ll tell you more about what is it you’ll be doing here and help you whenever you need it.” Jay explained, as he and Miles exchanged a handshake.

        There was something about Miles to which Alex was immediately drawn to. He couldn’t tell if it was the way the other man simply looked like he belonged there, with his impeccably tailored suit, or if it was his soft voice drawling around his words in a scouse accent, or the way he just felt the anxiety slip away when his droopy, warm eyes looked directly into his. Whatever it was, Alex was quite happy to have Miles as his colleague.

        After presenting the two, Jay left them to get on with their job as he got on with his. The hours went by far quicker than Alex had anticipated as he got to grips with the system they used there and as he had Miles to dispel his doubts. The work really wasn’t that hard after all and it made him feel stupid for worrying himself so much earlier that day, but what else was new?

        Right now, the end of their shift was approaching and he could hear Miles making plans with some of their other colleagues to go down to the pub, but he didn’t pay much attention as he was busy daydreaming about getting home and putting on some comfortable clothes, making a cuppa and watching some shit programme on the telly. That’s what he thought he would do, until Miles came up from behind his cubicle and asked him “Hey, would you like to go for a pint with us? Really, I only asked them ‘cause I thought it’d be a good idea for you to meet the rest of the guys. So if you don’t go there isn’t much point in us getting drunk on a Monday. But… No pressure, though! Maybe you’re tired and want to go home or something” “Sure, I’d love to go!” Alex said smiling midway through Miles’ babbling, before even processing what he was agreeing to.

        And really, how could he say no? As appealing as his own plans sounded, he guessed it would be good to get to know more of his colleagues as well as spend more time with Miles, get to know him outside the office partitions and under much less bright lights, it had only been a few hours but Alex could already tell he was developing a bit of an obsession with Miles.

        “Great! The pub’s just down the street and we probably won’t be there very long since we all need to be here tomorrow pretty early in the morning”. After agreeing to join them Alex finished up quickly in anticipation to going out.

        Alex didn’t have that many friends and he could be a bit awkward when meeting new people, but somehow he was managing to not get too inside his head about how all his co-workers were going to hate him and probably ignore him every day from now on and how even Miles probably thought he was an annoying piece of shit. There’d be drinks, and drinking was invented specifically to deal with such problems, probably. Either way, it certainly did help.

        The pub was just like any other pub really, only perhaps emptier, since it was still pretty early evening on a Monday. Alex hadn’t really had the chance yet to present himself to his co-workers properly that day since he’d pretty much spent the entire day staring at a computer, dedicated to learning his duty. But now that Miles was introducing them, he actually realised they looked like a genuinely nice group of people.

        There was Zach, Tyler and Loren, who were some pretty chill guys and mostly kept to themselves, and then there was Hannah, Taylor and Alexa, who were very friendly and welcoming ladies. And at that moment, Alex realised just how much his expectations had been misguided, he actually felt like he fit in quite nicely among this group and so far, from the way they were receiving him he supposed they liked him as well. He was sure Gareth and Joanne wouldn’t have fit in quite as much as he did, who could’ve guessed it?

        Jay showed up a little later, Alex spotted him as he came through the door and Miles waved excitedly to show him where they were.

        “Hello, everyone!” He shook hands with all the guys and kissed the hands of the girls as they giggled at his mock gentlemanly ways. “Good to see you’re all getting along fine with Alex, although I don’t know if it’s just ‘cause he’s a nice bloke, or ‘cause you’re all getting a bit tipsy by now, anyway, I better get myself a pint as well”.

        The night got on pretty quickly as everyone made conversation and shared little bit and bobs about their personalities. Alex couldn’t really put his finger on it, but he and Miles were getting on as if they’d known each other years and years, making each other laugh, going out for smokes and getting excited over the songs being played on the speakers. Turned out Miles was a bit of the modern mod. Really, Alex should’ve probably been able to have seen that on the way the man dressed alone, his suit being by far the nicest out of everyone in the group. He could have really helped Alex when he was buying his new, serious clothes.

        People started to leave and soon enough it was just Miles and Alex on their own and some random drunk people at the bar. “Guess it’s time we should leave as well” Miles says getting up, Alex following him suit. They go outside and share one last cigarette before saying their goodbyes and getting into their taxis “See you tomorrow, Al!” Miles shouts from inside his cab and Alex waves him goodbye with a smile on his face at the new nickname before getting into a cab of his own.

        It isn’t that late when Alex arrives home, but he’s so tired he can only get his clothes off before collapsing onto the bed and falling deep asleep within minutes, with a clear conscience for the first time in what feels like ages.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a filler chapter, but it sets up stuff to come so....

         The next morning Alex wakes up even more annoyed at his stupid alarm clock as he’d got a mild hangover from the night before, even though they hadn’t really drunk that much he just wasn’t as young and invincible as once before. If he only had more of an impulsive personality, he’d probably throw the damn thing against the wall dramatically, delighting himself in seeing the little device smash into pieces. Instead he simply shoves his head underneath the pillow trying to create a physical barrier between him and the source of distress. His annoyance suddenly diminishes, though, as memories from the previous night come flooding through his brain.

        His day had turned out much better than expected and he was actually somewhat excited to go into work today. Or it could be that he was just excited to see Miles again. Alex could have a bit of an obsessive personality at times. Even at a young age, he’d get specifically attached to one of his toys, bringing it everywhere with him and getting sad when it was taken away from him. And growing up he’d play the same album over and over again for weeks, until his mum couldn’t bear to hear the same track again for the 11th hour consecutive. Sometimes he’d research one specific obscure subject well into the early hours of the morning and then share useless trivia no one cared about but him for days with his friends.

        And among those things, every now and again he’d meet a person and just want to spend every minute of his life with them. It didn’t happen often, probably only a handful of times in his life, if that even. But he’d felt this way about Miles. Miles was just so undeniably charismatic and for whatever reason he seemed to have immediately felt a connection to Alex as well. Unlike Alex, Miles seemed to just have a way with people, it all appeared to come so natural to him and Alex was quite fascinated by that, by how effortlessly charming he was.

        They had talked quite a lot at the pub and found out they shared more than a few things in common. Both were into similar kinds of music and films, although Miles really leaned more to a mod in his tastes than Alex, going on and on about girl groups of the 60’s and about how much he loved Diana Ross or how Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood made a perfect combination. Alex liked those things as well, although he wasn’t such an expert, still he enjoyed sitting back and listening to Miles’ excited rambles. Alex himself did go on about John Cooper Clarke quite a lot at one point, so really their conversation ended up being somewhat balanced regarding who was listening and who was talking.

        They were in a world of their own, separate from the rest of the group most of the time. And Alex may or may not have caught a glimpse of the girls nudging each other and giggling at them at some point, although he didn’t pay much mind to that.

        Lost in his thoughts, Alex was nearly late for his second day of work, but he did eventually make it there just in time. He smiled and greeted the girls as he passed them by on the corridor in a much chipper mood than the one he’d arrived there the day before, especially at the sight of Miles already sitting at his desk.

        Alex didn’t know this, but Miles had actually seen him before they’d been presented by Jay yesterday. On one of the days Alex came to the building for his interviews, Miles had caught a glimpse of him walking down the corridor. And much like Alex’s first impression of Miles, Miles was quite enthralled by the other’s good looks, even if he didn’t seem to know how to dress very well. When Jay came to introduce him, Miles was very happy to find out that he’d been the one to get the job. He was never the one to be moody at the workplace, but even then you could still see an improvement in his whole aura now that Alex had joined the company.

        The work itself remained boring, but Alex simply put it to one side in his mind and got on with his day, sometimes preferring to focus on the songs Miles seemed to be quite fond of humming throughout the day or getting up to get some water, taking the opportunity to stretch his legs a bit, as well killing some time. Before he could notice, he’d been working there a whole week already.

        -                                                                                                                             

        Sometimes, at lunchtime, Alex and Miles decided to treat themselves a little bit and go and eat somewhere instead of having the usual meal brought from home.

        “So, what’d you wanna have?” Miles asked as they stepped out of the building.

        “Dunno… I haven’t got the healthiest of diets, to be honest. So, maybe you’d rather choose?” It was true, Alex really didn’t eat very well, he had good enough metabolism that it didn’t affect his petite frame so much and so he took advantage of that, but really right now he was just trying to avoid making a decision. Every time people asked what he wanted to have, where they should go, which movie to watch, his brain just turned blank. As if he’d never eaten, never left the house and never watched a movie before. So whenever he got the chance to leave decisions on the hands of someone else, he’d take it, preferring not to look like a simpleton, staring at nothing, possibly with his mouth open trying to think of a suggestion to make.

        “Oh, I don’t eat that well either. So, no worries. There’s this really nice burger place nearby, we could go there.” Alex internally sighed in relief as Miles had taken matters onto his own hands, “Sure, sounds great.” He smiled and let himself be led to this burger place.

        Once they were both sat down and had their burgers, they talked about how much fun they’d had at the pub and how they should hang out again soon.

        “Yeah, we’re actually going camping this weekend. You could come along, if you want, there’s still a spot free in my tent. It’s only one night, you know. Just to…. I dunno, we thought it’d be fun. Get in touch with nature or whatever. We come back on Sunday.” Miles finished taking a big bite off his burger, waiting for Alex to answer.

        Alex had always been the one to plan and think before his actions, but once again, since his recent addiction to Miles, he just couldn’t be bothered with that. So instead of swallowing his bite before answering like a normal human, he nodded his head excitedly still trying to get around his mouthful, looking like a total doofus and somehow managing to spill some ketchup on his shirt.

        “Oh, shit!” He said, noticing the mess he’d made.

        “Hey, don’t worry, we just need to run it under some cold water, and scrub a bit, it won’t completely go away until you wash it, but I reckon no one will notice” Miles said already getting up and motioning Alex to the bathroom, so he could get his shirt off.

        Standing on a public bathroom, in his vest as Miles scrubbed his shirt and then tried to dry it under one of those loud hand driers, wasn’t exactly what he had in plan when he left the house today, and Alex just felt so stupid he couldn’t help the colour rising in his cheeks.

        “You didn’t need to do that, Miles… I should’ve cleaned it myself”

        “Nah, it’s no trouble.” Miles said handing his shirt back and suddenly feeling somewhat awkward, not knowing where to look or what to do as Alex did up his shirt.

        “You can barely see it now” He said in an attempt to drive the awkwardness away. “It should go away in the wash”

        “Thanks…. You really didn’t have to do this, I’m…”

        “No worries, yeah? Happens to the best of us.” Miles said smiling, trying to lighten up the mood.

        They finished their meals and went back to work. Before leaving that day Miles made sure to ask Alex one more time about their little outing, after the mishap of earlier had interrupted the subject.

        “You do wanna come, then? Saturday?”

        “Yup, sounds like fun.” Alex managed to get out without further embarrassing himself.

        “We’re leaving pretty early on Saturday, so if you’d rather, you could stay the night at my place and get another hour of sleep or so” They arranged for Alex to go to Miles’ place on Friday after work as Alex tried his very best to hide his excitement.

        -

        Later that night, Alex curled up on his settee with a cup of tea and was planning to watch some tv when he’d got a call from his best friend Matt.

        “So, how’s your new job? What is it like to work for the man?”

        “It’s not too bad, actually. I mean, the work is an absolute bore, I’ve been there a week and I still don’t even know what we do for certain, but the people there are quite friendly. We’re going camping on Saturday.”

        “Woah, what? Already replacing your old friends, I see?”

        “It’s totally not like that, Matt… I mean, I’d look like a right arse not to come along, they’re genuinely nice people.”

        “Alright… So tell me more about these so called ‘genuinely nice people’ then”.

        Alex told him about his co-workers and how they’d gone out last Monday, and as much as he tried not to go on too much about Miles and how he'd embarrassed himself in front of him today, Matt had been Alex’s friend for ever and could see right through him.

        “You seem to really like this Miles fella, huh? Do I sense a little romance brewing or…?”

        “It’s not like that Matt, he’s just really nice and we get on well and…”

        “And you wanna shag him”

        “Matt!”

        “What?!”

        “I just said it’s not like that!”

        “Oh, you wanna get shagged _by_ him?”

        “Matt… Honestly, fuck off.” Alex rolled his eyes at his friend’s maturity level and changed subject so he wouldn’t need to keep reassuring himself that he wasn’t falling for Miles. Or at least that’s what he told himself, even if after they’d hung up the thought that he’d really like Miles to be there to watch shit telly and cuddle with him wouldn’t leave his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am actually pretty excited to write their little camping trip, so I think I won't be abandoning this just yet lol


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They go camp! I mean, camping, they go camping!

        The rest of the week went by in a blink of an eye and soon enough it was Friday. Alex had anticipated this Friday more than any other Friday in his entire life. Before leaving for work he tried his best to look as good as possible with his not so fancy clothes, put extra product in his hair and checked himself in the mirror at every single angle imaginable. Scared that he’d put too much cologne, he stopped and tried to smell himself, failing miserably and deciding to just leave it as it was, hoping it wasn’t overwhelming.

        He didn’t even know why he was putting so much of an effort, he was still coming back home to get his stuff before heading for Miles’ place that evening. Maybe Matt was right after all, maybe he was interested in Miles in less friendly and more loving ways, the fact alone that Matt had noticed something was up should be enough of a giveaway. Matt was somehow always first to know; every time he would know even before Alex himself knew.

        Alex couldn’t deny that Miles was an attractive man, nor that he did enjoy his company. But he was afraid of accepting that he was falling for Miles and that that would make their friendship weird at such an early stage still. He was afraid he’d subconsciously start acting different around Miles, maybe even trying to flirt, and that was unquestionably not Alex’s strongest point, at least not while sober.

        He didn’t even know if Miles was interested in him this way. They hadn’t explicitly discussed their sexualities yet, but Alex was pretty certain Miles must be bisexual. Even then, Alex had always had a hard time trying to tell if people were just being nice or trying to flirt with him. Usually settling for the first option in an attempt to avoid an awkward situation in case his judgment had been misguided. All of this could be solved rather simply if Alex didn’t get so caught up in his own thoughts and ideas of how things would go, but that’s just the way his brain worked.

        Alex had been single for some time now. Never very lucky with relationships and always being a terrible wreck for a long time after a break up, he had almost come to terms with the fact that he might just ride solo for a while. Or so he thought, until deciding to finally accept that he may kind of want to be with Miles, if he wants to be with him as well.

        -

        The boys spent the day at the office as usual. Talking over the photocopier, taking bites off of each other’s lunches and leaving little notes at each other’s desks. They had gotten closer and closer with each day, and everyone in the office could see it. There were already bets going around, trying to guess when they’d get together. Taylor and Alexa sadly had already lost, eagerly betting they’d have gotten together by now. They considered betting on who’d make the first move as well, but it was unanimously thought that it’d be Miles and so that bet was never made.

        Today, however, everyone put aside their bets for a moment and concentrated on being excited for the weekend. Making sure no one was forgetting anything they had to bring and that everyone knew how to get to Zach’s flat, where they were meeting before leaving for the wilderness on Saturday.

        Jay wouldn’t be joining them, claiming he was too busy, but still he wished them a nice trip at the end of that working day.

        “I like the fact that we’re just all basically having a collective middle-age crisis and doing silly young people stuff together.” Alexa said excitedly before picking up the rest or her stuff and getting ready to leave.

        “You’re making me feel way older than I am, Lexi, we ain’t old enough to be having a midlife crisis yet!” added Hannah.

        “Oh, nowadays you can have a middle-age crisis at any age really, it’s no big deal anymore.” Taylor stated matter-of-factly. “You could be the stereotypical 50-year-old guy buying sports cars, you could be barely 20, doesn’t matter”

        “Well, we could be doing worse things than going camping as a result of our midlife crisis, but I guess we just haven’t the money for those.” Alex said before spotting Miles at the bottom of the corridor, gesturing for him to come over. He said his goodbyes as the girls left and made his way to where Miles was.

        “So, everything still up for tonight?” Miles asked smiling.

        “Yeah, just need to go and get my things and I’ll come.”

        “Cool, I’ll be waiting then.” As Miles went away, Alex wasn’t sure but he thought he saw him winking at him and promptly some colour rose to his cheeks, if not from the actual action, from even thinking Miles might’ve done it.

        -

        Standing outside Miles’ flat with his little backpack Alex could hear music playing from inside the house.

_He’s_ _a soft spoken guy/also seems kinda shy/makes me wonder if I/should even give him a try_ sang the ladie’s voice in between _do-langs do-langs_ from the other side of the wall.

        Alex ran his hands through his hair one last time before ringing the doorbell. He could hear Miles’ steps approaching and the key twisting inside the lock before being greeted by the usual big, crooked smile Miles always seemed to flash when he was around him. Miles let him in and the first thing he notices upon entering is that Miles’ flat is very nice and clean, mostly black and white and minimally decorated. Although, Alex did notice the Beatles’ cushions on his couch.

        “Why am I not impressed you have Beatles’ cushions?”

        Miles laughed, “Must be ‘cause you know me so well”.

        Alex sets his backpack down and dramatically throws himself onto the couch.

        “Tired much?”

        “A bit, yeah.”

        “Fancy some takeout?”

        “God, yes!”

        Miles orders some curry and they spend the rest of the night talking over Miles’s carefully picked playlist and the delicious chicken masala. Miles enthusiastically singing some lyrics here and there, especially at the sound of Diana Ross’ voice coming from the speakers.

        -

        The next morning, Alex forgot for a moment that he’d stayed the night at Miles and didn’t recognise his surroundings upon waking up, his panic shrivelling away as he smelt coffee brewing and saw Miles coming out of the kitchen.

        “Morning, sleepyhead.” Miles was already dressed in a white Adidas tracksuit and seemed to have already gotten breakfast well on the way. The man could look good even in a tracksuit, and to Alex that was really impressive.

        “Morning” Alex replied drowsily, rubbing his eyes and stretching his arms afterwards, not wanting to get up from his cocoon so early in the morning.

        “I got you a towel in case you wanna have a shower before we leave.”

        “Cheers.” Alex said yawing and nearly falling asleep again.

        “Not much of a morning person, are you, Al?” Miles said getting closer to the pull-out couch where Alex had slept that night “C’mon! Wake up!” he shouted as he tickled Alex’s feet.

        “Ah! OK! OK! I’m up! I’m up! Stop, please!” Alex shrieked in between laughter not only from being very ticklish but also from not expecting this at all. Miles got up again laughing and told Alex “Get ready, yeah? There’s coffee and breakfast in the kitchen.”

        Miles had disappeared into the flat before Alex could attempt to throw a snarky “Ok, mum…” his way. After summoning great strength to wake up properly and get ready, Alex finally reached Miles’ level after about three quarters of an hour and they finally left for Zach’s.

        -

        The group was divided into two cars, but were soon re-joined after a couple of hours of driving, singing and silly little road trip games. They parked their cars in a clearing near a river and unpacked all their equipment from the boot, getting ready to start struggling with the tents, poles and ropes to insure a safe and dry place to spend the night.

        Everybody teamed up in an effort to make the task easier, apart from Zach, who not pleased with having smoked all the way there, was already standing to one side rolling another joint.

        “Would you mind helping at all, Zach?” Said Tyler holding the large piece of canvas supposed to cover the poles, trying to figure out which was the right way.

        “In a way…. I am.” Was all Zach said before continuing the task he had at hand.

        Finally, after faffing about with the tents for long enough to get all four of them standing and looking pretty sturdy everyone was starving. They improvised something that could resemble “lunch” on their little camping stove, although it would seem more like muck to anyone with standards higher than theirs at that moment.

        After “lunch”, they divided themselves in pairs to go and collect sticks and pieces of wood for a bonfire. Even though it was still early, they would definitely need a source of warmth later in the day. This being England, and basically a wet hell, this task wasn’t as simple as it sounded, most wood was far too wet to catch fire, and so they had to spend quite some time looking for suitable kindling.

        Miles and Alex walked through the woods sharing thoughts every now and then, but mostly concerned with finding dry wood or whatever came closest to dry wood they could find, when Miles suddenly heard a thump and looked around to see Alex on the floor, all wood he’d collected spread around him irregularly. He set down the wood he himself was carrying and got closer to where Alex was.

        “Hey, Al, are you ok?” Miles asked, his droopy eyes open wide in worry Alex might’ve hurt himself.

        “Yeah… ‘m fine… just… clumsy, as usual…” Alex said avoiding Miles gaze in embarrassment and cleaning his dirty hands on his trousers.

        Miles extended his hand as support for Alex to get up “Don’t worry about it, yeah? What matters is that you didn’t get hurt” Alex took his hand and got up. Once he’d found his balance he noticed he was closer to Miles now than he’d ever been before and for a moment he forgot to take his hand from Miles’ as they shared an intense look. He saw Miles’ gaze moving downwards slowly to his lips and let go of his hand, only for Miles to get even closer and move his gaze back to his eyes before sealing the space between them with a chaste kiss to his lips.

        Leaving all coherent thoughts behind, Alex promptly licked Miles’ lips seeking to deepen the kiss, bringing his hands to meet at the back of Miles’ neck, as Miles’ hands found a place on his waist. And so they stood there sharing their first kiss encircled by trees, wildlife and fallen kindling.

        Alex smiled as they broke apart “Was thinking of doing that meself, but I’m glad you made the first move, I could’ve taken quite a while”, Miles laughed and left a myriad of little kisses all over Alex’s face.

        They eventually picked up the wood they’d collected and made their way back to the camping site. Being greeted by the rest of their gang as they arrived, everyone giving each other knowing looks.

        “You two didn’t go stepping in no fairy rings, I hope, that could be a real shame.” Said Alexa, breaking the silence.

        That night Alex didn’t need to wish for Miles to be there to cuddle, because that’s exactly how they slept the whole night through in their small, but somehow cosy tent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about being an awful tease and not having them kiss yet, but then I kinda had them go camping, because I thought about Miles and Alex kissing in a forest in the first place and it sounded too cute not to write lol I could probably have done a better job at it, but when I start re-reading my writing to much I start thinking it's shit and that's how I never finish anything...... so yeah, I hope this is at least good enough
> 
> ps.: thanks to everyone who left kudos/comments on my fics! it is quite validating....


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It gets sappy, ya'll, so prepare.

        When Miles and Alex arrived from their little escapade, there was already a small fire going, result of the work from their friends who hadn’t been busy kissing in the bush. They stayed up quite late that night, all curled up around the fire roasting whatever they had brought to eat, making fast progress in drinking all beer they’d brought along and sharing stories. As the night went on, one by one they disappeared into their tents as they got tired and decided to go to sleep.

        In the morning, Alex woke up still snuggling Miles, who was fast asleep, a small smirk creeping its way onto Alex’s face as he relished in his memories from the previous day. Without wanting to wake Miles up nor disturb the peaceful expression on his sleeping face, Alex tried to leave the tent as stealthily as he could manage.

        Outside, the girls were already up and munching on some of the unidentifiable breakfast they’d made form an assortment of random food each of them had brought along.

        “Good morning!” Alex said once he was entirely out of his tent.

        “Good morning!” They answered back at him “Fancy having some breakfast, Alex? It doesn’t look pretty, but it was made with love, I can assure you that” Taylor offered.

        “Yeah, sure, thanks” Alex said taking a place next to them where they’d made their bonfire the night before.

        Silence fell upon them for a moment before Hannah started “Alex….”

        “Yeah?” Alex said as an invitation for her to continue.

        “Are… Are you and Miles…” Alex could already tell where this was going from Taylor’s smirk, Alexa’s eyes going wide as she shook her head at Hannah, but mostly from the beginning of the question she was setting up, “You know…. Are you two dating?” Alex had already started to blush as he realised what she was going to ask, but right now he looked nothing less than an actual tomato.

        “Um….” He tried to answer, but just didn’t know what to say.

        “I’m sorry, it’s really none of my business, I shouldn’t have asked, I’m really sorry” Hannah rambled realising she maybe should’ve left this question for another time and going as red as the boy sitting opposite her.

        “No… it’s ok, It’s just… I don’t know? We haven’t really talked about that yet...” He finally managed to get out, the colour subsiding from his cheeks.

        “Well…. I wasn’t gonna say anything, but since the subject’s been brought up….” Taylor added once Alex was done answering “Yesterday, you two did take your time collecting that wood….”

        Alex couldn’t help but laugh at that, trying to fight the colour from coming back up to his cheeks “Yeah…. We might’ve stopped and kissed somewhere along the way…”

        “Knew it!” was Alexa’s first contribution to the conversation “Can’t believe Zach won the bet….”

        “Wait, you were betting on this?!” Alex was shocked to find out this piece of information, and realising he really must be last person on earth to notice when someone was flirting with him.

        “Yeah… well….” Before the girls could explain themselves, they noticed Miles getting out of the tent to join them.

        “Morning, everyone!” He said stretching “Slept alright?” and with that they dropped this matter to be discussed another time.

        The rest of the guys soon got up as well, and after all had had breakfast, they went for a swim in the river before getting ready to leave. Once all was packed and ready to go, they wearily got into the cars once again and drove their way back to London. And if yesterday on their way there they’d sung and joked around, this time most of them didn’t even pay attention to the scenes unfolding on their windows, too tired or hungover to do anything other than have a nap before getting home.

        It was still early evening when they first spotted London’s skyline on the horizon, which contrasted so harshly with that of the place they’d been at only hours ago, all tall buildings and concrete, not a single tree in sight.

        Zach dropped Miles and Alex at their respective places, not sounding too excited at the prospect of having work early the next morning as they’d said goodbye and went home.

        -

        “So how was your little camping trip?” Matt’s curious voice came out of the speaker on Alex’s phone.

        “it was pretty good…” Alex couldn’t control the smirk that formed on his face and it might sound silly for everybody else, but he knew Matt could hear even that through the phone.

        “Anything you want to tell me in particular?” Alex knew from his intonation alone he was trying to insinuate something.

        “Why? Are you interested in hearing about anything in particular?”

        “Nah… Just wondering if you realised you’re in love with Miles yet”

        “Somebody’s a bit nosy, ain’t they?”

        “Not at all, just care about my clueless mate”

        “Ok, so… Now, before you get all ‘I told you so’ on me, you might want to know that I have indeed come to terms with what you so suggest” Alex started in his usual over explanatory, long-winded manner of speaking to which Matt simply responded with a hum, letting him get on with his narrative “And if you are so interested in this you might also want to know we did kiss” Alex continued.

        “Would you look at that, who could’ve guessed? Apart from me obviously”

        “Apparently, all my other co-workers”

        “What?”

        “Yeah, they had a bet going and everything.”

        “Mr. Alex Turner, you are SO transparent!”

        “It’s not all up to me! I like to think some of it is Miles’ fault as well.”

        “I’m sure it must be” was all Matt had to say before they continued their usual chat, Matt going on and on about his little daughter and how fast she was growing, making Alex miss little Amelia and already start mentally planning a visit to his oldest friend.

        Once their phone call was over, Alex checked his mobile to find Miles had left him a message “sleep tight, love x” was all it said.

        -

        When Alex stepped into the office the next day, he couldn’t help the excitement from seeping out of every pore in his body, anticipating the moment he’d see Miles again. His expression dying down just the smallest amount when he didn’t see the egg-like head poking out from behind his desk.

        Miles always arrived earlier than Alex, which left him a little taken aback, but before he could give another thought as to why Miles wasn’t at his desk yet a low, warm voice right behind him whispered in his ear “Looking for someone, laa?” Alex turned around to meet the man he had in fact been looking for.

         “Yes, I’m looking for Zach actually.” Alex responded in an attempt to look less eager in a joking way.   

         “Well… you know Zach doesn’t usually sit at that desk. And I don’t think Zach has got you coffee either” Miles said in mock jealousy, handing over the lidded paper cup containing the hot drink to Alex and taking a sip from his own cup.

         “Thanks” Alex grabbed the cup with both his hands letting the warmth be absorbed by his cold fingers as they shared a silent moment soon broken by Miles.

         “We better get to work, right, loads to be done” he said as he made his way past Alex to his desk, his hand brushing Alex’s waist on the way.

         Sat at their desks, they tipped the day away once again in the repetitive routine adult life had taken them, not stopping to discuss where exactly lay their relationship now.

         The dynamic itself hadn’t changed from what it used to be. Their banter wasn’t affected nor was their feelings towards each other. If anything, Miles was probably flirting a bit more than usual and Alex for once joined in on the game.

         -

        “Hey guys!” Jay approached them as they stood chatting to one side, avoiding doing work for a couple of minutes “I’ve just been so busy lately, don’t think I’d even seen you today yet! So how was camping?” he asked.

        “It was great, yeah, really great” Miles said confidently, his hands resting on his hips, trying desperately to hide the smile sneaking its way onto his face, but failing. Not knowing if Jay was ok with office romances, colour was already appearing in Alex’s cheeks at Miles blatant behaviour.

         “Shame I couldn’t go really, maybe if there’s a next time? I’d love to catch up with you guys, though, let’s go for a pint this week, yeah? I’ve just been so busy. It’s doing me head in!”

         “Let’s definitely go for that pint later, you need to unwind, man” Miles said and Jay nodded his head, getting interrupted by his assistant coming in with a big pile of papers before he could say anything and simply waving goodbye before leaving to get on with work.

         Moving his attention back to Alex, Miles noticed how the lad had already gone and gotten himself all worked up and worried about something again.

         “What’s wrong, love?” he said sounding mildly worried himself and resting a hand on Alex’s waist.

         “I dunno… is just…. is Jay ok with…. y’know…. this” Alex said motioning the both of them with his finger.

        “What’s ‘this’?” Miles inquired teasingly, mirroring his gesture.

        “You know! Us…” he tried his best to keep his voice low, so others passing by couldn’t hear their conversation.

        “Us? Nah, I think Jay likes us. Wouldn’t have hired us if he didn’t, now, would he?” Miles kept playing dumb just to wind Alex up.

        “Mi…..”

        “Just joking, babe. Jay is cool, really, I don’t think he gives a fuck about this type of thing. But, then…. Are you insinuating what I think you are insinuating?”    

        “Uhm… I mean, only if, like…” Alex struggled to get his words out trying to explain exactly what was it that he might’ve been insinuating.

        “D’you wanna be my boyfriend, Al?” Miles said now with both hands on Alex’s waist, taking the shorter lad by surprise and shutting him up immediately. A few seconds of silence followed before Alex realised what had actually been asked, his brain taking awfully long to process the question and give an answer.

        “C’mon, Al, I’m getting worried here”

        “Yes! Yes, of course, sorry” Alex finally exclaimed, his eyes going wide.

        “No need to apologise, love” Miles said, brushing Alex’s hair behind his ear and giving him a small peck on the cheek “I’d kiss you right now, but that isn’t really appropriate behaviour in the workplace, plus we’ll have plenty of time to do it in other occasions”.

        Alex simply beamed in happiness, not knowing what to say. Out of the corner of his eye he could spot Alexa silently clapping in their direction with a smile on her face, probably having witnessed their unusually close encounter.  

        “We should go back to work now, though, we seem to be attracting some unwanted attention” Alex said nodding his head in Alexa’s direction.

        Miles looked behind his back and waved at her then turned back to Alex “Whatever you say, sugar pie, honey bunch”.

        Alex might have acted calm on the outside, but really all he wanted to do at the moment was scream from the top of his lungs. That and a thousand other silly things he felt like doing when he was in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took a little longer to write, sorry. It's just that I had (still have, really) a thousand dilemmas going through my head. We're reaching an end now, though, I was meaning this to be the last chapter, actually, but I think there's still gonna be one more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is basically a patchwork of drabbles, i'm sorry :/

        The next weeks saw Alex and Miles acting like the sickliest lovebirds you’d probably ever seen. Although everyone in the office was supportive of them, they still toned it down a bit in the workplace not to be too sugary sweet and give all of their colleagues a stomach ache or something of the sort. There may have been threats of ears being ripped off at the sound of ‘another stupid pet name’, but admittedly they were all happy for the new office couple.

        On their first proper date, Miles had showed up at Alex’s doorstep with a bouquet of flowers almost too big for his arms to reach around it. Upon opening the front door, Alex could not even see the man behind all those flowers, Miles’ head popping around the side a moment after expecting a reaction only to see Alex’s eyes blown up wide in surprise.

        Miles hadn’t told Alex a single thing about what their date would actually entail, he tried to guess and at least get Miles to let him know what sort of clothes he should wear, but that’s as much information as he got.

        It was as sunny a day as they come in England and Alex could tell by the way they were going that they might be headed to Hyde Park. And they were, which led Alex to believe they were going on a little stroll around the park, only to be surprised again once they reached a spot where a blanket was laid with a basket full of goods on top of it. Once again Alex could barely form proper sentences that day.

        “Wha- How? How did you even-“

        “I got Zach and Alexa to help me, they’re probably still around, peeping on us from afar, now sit”

        Since not everything could be perfect, it did start pouring down with rain towards the end of the afternoon and they’d had to scurry away into a taxi juggling the picnic basket on one hand and an umbrella on the other, trying their best not to get soaked.

        Still, even that turned into a romantic statement in itself as they kissed each other goodbye underneath the rain like in a cheesy romantic comedy from the 90’s.

        -

        Since they’d started dating, Alex happened to mention one day how he thought Miles dressed so nicely but that he himself didn’t really care for clothes’ shopping, fashion or anything like that and just wore whatever he felt looked half decent. Which in turn, obviously, spiked Miles interest, saying he’d take him to get the perfect suit one of these days and how he knew just the perfect person for the job.

         As they’d entered the store Miles presence was immediately recognised

        “Miles!”

        “Alright, Raz?” a large smiled appeared on Miles’ face as the two shared a hug as if they’d been close friends, who hadn’t seen each other for a long time.

        “This is Raz” Miles had introduced the 6’2” black man of Nigerian descent “I’ve been coming to him for suits since…. Don’t even know, it’s been such a long time, innit?” That was the first time Alex had actually witnessed someone better dressed than Miles, which was saying a lot and definitely left an impression.

        “It sure has, and I better not hear of you going to anyone else. I thought we had something special, man.” Raz said with a big smile on his face.

        “Wouldn’t dream of it!”

        “And what are you here for today, might I ask?”

        “Well, surprisingly I haven’t come to get myself a suit for once.” You could see genuine shock manifesting in Raz’s face at that statement “We’ve come to help this poor lad dress a little better” Miles said motioning his boyfriend.

        “Don’t be so harsh on the boy, Miles, I’m sure it can’t be that bad”

        “You’d be surprised”

        “Oi, it’s not that bad!” Alex finally defended himself.

        “Nah, it isn’t, really” Miles said embracing Alex to reassure him that he’d only been joking “But I can’t wait to see you once we dressed you nice and proper.”

        "Alright, let's get started then!" Raz interrupted, eager to start the makeover already.        

        When they finally left the shop, after a good couple of hours of trying on different suits and ties Miles was elated with their buys, he seemed to be yet more excited than when they’d entered the shop. It was almost as if buying recharged his energies, Alex on the other hand was completely exhausted and couldn’t wait to get home and fall on the bed for a long nap.

        Next Monday at the office everyone complimented Alex on his new clothes and Miles was so proud of his boyfriend he couldn’t stop smiling nor staring for a single minute.

        -

        “Did she just put that toy in her mouth?” Alex asked worriedly.

        “What?... Shit! Amelia, spit it out! Spit it!” Matt said as he got his hand in his daughter’s mouth to try and prevent her from choking on some small piece of a toy that really wasn’t meant to fit inside a one-year-old’s mouth.

        Alex had been wanting to pay Matt a visit for a few weeks now and had also wanted for a while now that Miles and Matt met, although he was still somewhat apprehensive of what their thoughts on each other would be.

        Matt threw the spit-soaked toy on the floor next to where he and Amelia were sat and cleaned his hands on his jeans making Alex roll his eyes at his friend’s poor hygiene.

        “So, where’s Miles anyway?” Matt asked.

        “He must be on his way by now.” Alex said fidgeting in his seat.

        “Maybe he got lost?”

        “Don’t think so, he’s got a pretty good sense of direction.” Miles was meant to buy some takeout and then meet them at Matt’s place, so they could eat there. It be just them this evening, Matt’s wife, Breana, being away for work. Just as they were discussing Miles’ absence the doorbell rang.

        Alex sprung up quickly from where he was sitting on the couch “C’mon, Matt, get up, that’s him!”, in his own pace Matt got up from the floor and made his way to the front door “Jesus, Al, I’m coming already, no need to get your knickers in a twist.”

        Matt opened the door and there stood Miles in his best get-up as usual, takeout in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.

        “Hi! You must be Matt!” Miles said with his most friendly smile on his face.

        “And you must be Miles, c’mon, get in, it must be freezing outside.” Matt stepped aside so Miles could get inside.

        The first thing Miles noticed once he’d entered the house was who he guessed to be Matt’s daughter sitting down on the floor playing with her toys “And this must be Amelia. Hello, darling!” Miles squatted down to greet the little girl, standing out his pointer finger for her to shake, his hand being too big for her tiny one. She grasped his finger in her little hand and he shook it up and down imitating a handshake, as if she could understand these strange social greetings already and then got up again to greet his forgotten boyfriend, who’d just stood to the side watching the whole interaction unfold before him.

        “You’ve been worrying haven’t you, Al? Can tell it in your face.”

        Alex needn’t had worried at all, Miles and Matt got on like a house on fire. By the end of the night they were already considering each other pals and Alex was finally able to relax in relief.

        -

        Alex tiredly opened his eyes to see the sleeping form of his beloved. He’d stayed the night at Miles’ as he usually did these days and as always he was the first to wake up. Since he was a kid, whenever he stayed over at a friend’s house or a distant relative’s he’d always be the first one up. Back at his place he could sleep in as late as humanly possible, but for some reason his brain just seemed unable to do the same at any other known or unknown bed.

        He got up quietly, trying not to wake Miles up, even though it was probably awfully late already, and gingerly tiptoed his way into the living room.

        Alex loved going through Miles’ record collection. Not only was it much bigger than his own, he had a wider variety of genres and musicians, rarer finds and just all around cooler stuff. Alex carefully removed the record he’d chose from its case and put it on the player, changing the volume to as low as it could get without it being completely silent and setting the needle exactly where he wanted.

        Cleo Laine’s strong voice could barely be heard coming from the speakers. Just as Alex was about to step back to enjoy the music his heart skipped a beat as he felt hands creeping around his waist, but relaxed a moment later when he realised it could only be Miles.

        “Nice choice.” Miles whispered in his ear, hugging him closer from behind.

        “Thanks, although that really is a compliment to yourself in the end, I mean, it is your collection after all.”

        “Yeah, but you chose it” Miles said wrapping his arms tighter around Alex and resting his head on his shoulder.

        After spending a moment in silence as they heard the song and swung lightly from side to side Miles spoke again.

        “You know how our 4-month anniversary is coming?”

        “Yeah?” Alex turned his head to questioningly look at Miles.

        “I got us a lil’ something.”

        “Mi…. You really shouldn’t-“

        “How would you like to spend the weekend in Brighton?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok... So this took one hell of a long time and it isn't even all I had in mind (probably not as good either). The things is, my depression cicle caught up with me again as it usually does and so writing's been a little hard and that's as far as I got in like... one month... So, I'm gonna write their little Brighton trip in a different chapter (and that one should really be the last) Sorry if this one's really bad, I've just been.... in a horrible mood lately. Anyway, is anyone even still interested in this fic? 
> 
> Also, I have like no ideas for when I finish this, so if anyone wants to talk about fic ideas or whatever, maybe hmu on tumblr? i'm thedaydreamsynopsis there...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They go to Brighton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok...... So..... I'm pretty sure nobody cares about this anymore, I literally just wrote a shitty final chapter so I could tell myself I finished it? I don't even know.... Not recommended for diabetics

        The relatively short train trip had seemed an eternity for Alex, who excitedly fidgeted in his seat like an overeager child the entire time, far too excited for what was his and Miles' first proper travel together. Other than that, he just felt pleased to get away from the office to be honest, toleave London even if just for a while and walk around somewhere different, be that a cliché or not. Spend some more alone time with Miles away from their colleagues and do something other than going to a pub after work.

  
        "Glad you didn't find it cheesy then." Miles said snuggling close to his excited boyfriend.

  
        "I'm sure you've figured out by now just how much of a romantic fool I am." Alex replied enjoying the warmth coming from the body close to him and before he realised they'd reached their destination. 

  
        Once they arrived at the hotel Miles immediately made a beeline into the bathroom in order to arrange the plethora of moisturisers he'd brought along. Far too much for such a short period of time to be spent far from home Alex thought, but Miles assured him they all served their purpose. Alex on the other hand threw himself on the bed getting cosy in between the sheets of the nicely made king sized bed. Miles may not be rich, but he still insited on getting a decent hotel for their little getaway.

  
        After filling the hotel cabinets with little tubes of expensive creams and lotions Miles walked back into the room to find Alex under the covers already in deep in sleep. Feeling bad about waking him up when he looked so peaceful Miles decided to unpack his bag, which contained an equally excessive amount of clothes. Better safe than badly dressed, he thought.

  
        By the time he was done and starting to wonder just how much longer the sleepy boy would take to wake up he heard a yawn followed by a ruffling of the sheets.

  
        "Jesus... How long have I've been out?" Alex said sitting up on the bed and running his hand through his messy bed hair.

  
        "Oh... I dunno... about half an hour?" Miles stated pulling on a new shirt "Think you can get ready to go into town now you're well rested?"

  
        "Yeah... that was a great nap, that, I'm ready to take on anything!"

  
        "C'mon then, I've choosen you an outfit, if you don't mind." Miles pointed at the clothes carefully placed on top of a chair on the corner of the room.

  
        "Thanks, babe. I'm actually really glad you packed my bag as well. I'm quite awful at it." Alex said giving his fashionable boyfriend a chaste kiss before hurrying to get onto his clothes and out on the streets.

  
        Miles had taken it into his hands to decide where they would go and what to see, first they would walk around the lanes and have a look at all the quirky little shops there. Hopefully get Al a little present or something. Then they could go to the arcade on the pier, afterwards they'd watch the sunset together of course and maybe finish off the day at a nice restaurant.

  
        It wasn't quite summer yet, so the city wasn't as filled with tourist as it would be in its peak, altough it was the weekend so there were still a fair amount of Londoners out on the streets. The boys had had the luck of getting quite nice weather as well. Brighton really wasn't the most ideal beach holiday one could get, but it was just the perfect destination for the two of them.

  
        "We could go to Clacton one of these days." Alex said licking his ice cream with reckless abandon "Bet you'd like that."

  
        "What? 'cause I'm a mod?" Miles acted taken aback.

  
        "Yup." Alex affirmed not taking his boyfriend seriously at all. "Bet we could even go to one of them northern soul clubs you like to drag me to."

  
        "Yeah... guess I'd like that." Miles answered immeadiately dropping his act "One more place on the list I want us to visit, I guess"

  
        "So you wanna go more places with me?"

  
        "Of course, silly." Miles just couldn't believe how shy and unassuming his boyfriend could be at times, even after they had had a few months to get to know each other better.

  
        "Like where?"

  
        "Oh, you know it. Just the most commomplace destinations really, Paris, Ibiza, Thailand, all of them" He named the places casually as they continued their way down the road "You could change that, though, you tell me the places you wanna go and we'll go there, darling."

  
        "Hm... You could show me the Wirral!"

  
        "I could certainly do that." Miles smiled "And you could show me around Sheffield."

  
        "Sure... I could do that." He reminisced wistfully about his hometown. He hadn't been there in some time, so Miles' idea wa not bad at all actually "I've always wanted to go to Italy... And Greece! Your list is going to grow very long very fast."

  
        "The more the merrier, love."

  
        Alex loved making plans like this with Miles. It made him feel wanted and expectant for their future together. It's not exactly that he had had awful experiences in the past and was scared of being left or exchanged for somebody else, it was just the fact that everything seemed different with Miles. He had just never felt quite this way about anyone else, they had a connection he just couldn't find the words to explain. At the risk of sounding terribly cheesy, Alex just really felt they might be soulmates, two parts of a whole, which was something he'd never really believed before.

  
        After getting a little crazy at a stationery store and even crazier at a record store and buying each other maybe one too many gifts, the boys made their way to the pier, for a little fun at the arcade, stopping shortly to watch a flock of birds fly nearby on their way there, as well as taking this opportunity to take a couple of pictures for memories sake.

  
        "I haven't been to one of these in ages." Alex said entering the darkened space lit with neon lights coming from the machines "I could never get the nice prizes so I just gave up trying at some point when I was a kid."

  
        "Well, you might wanna gte ready for a long afternoon, 'cause we won't be getting out of here until I get you the biggest teddy in sight."

  
        "Promises... You better do it before it gets too late, I still wanna watch the sunset!"

  
        "Worry not my little poet, we and our future new inanimate friend will be watching the sunset together in no time."

  
        And true to his word he was, Miles did seem to be some sort of arcade games wizard and after a long time engaged in entertaiment generally meant for those a little younger than the two of them he finally managed to get Alex a teddy big enough to wrap your arms around and off they went to find a spot at the beach so they could fulfill Alex's wish to watch the sunset.

  
        They sat upon the pebbly beach overlooking the old burned down pier, Captain Beefheart, their new friend sat by their side, and waited in comfortable silence for the natural spectacle to take place in front of them. Alex rested his head on Miles' shoulder, who in turn wrapped an arm around his waist. They didn't tell one another this, but at that time both thought the same thing, that they were the happiest they'd ever been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is... The end.... Don't think I'll be writing chapetered fics anymore (althought tbh it's not like I've been writing anything at all...) I guess they're just not my thing. I just did this one 'cause I wanted something unrealistically happy to lift my mood up, so yeah...

**Author's Note:**

> I thought about being an awful tease and not having them kiss yet, but then I kinda had them go camping, because I thought about Miles and Alex kissing in a forest in the first place and it sounded too cute not to write lol I could probably have done a better job at it, but when I start re-reading my writing to much I start thinking it's shit and that's how I never finish anything...... so yeah, I hope this is at least good enough
> 
> ps.: thanks to everyone who left kudos/comments on my fics! it is quite validating....


End file.
